Meria Jordayne
The eldest daughter of Lord Mors Jordayne, Meria did not take after most of her Salty Dornish family in most of her looks. Though she had the flowing black hair of her ancestors, in terms of her skin she took after her Stoney Dornish mother. Since 299 AA she has been Princess of the Redmarch. Biography Youth There were many different sorts of men and women in Dorne who came from a variety of different sources. There were the Sandy Dornish with their dark features and sunburnt skin, the Stoney Dornish with their Andal blood and pale features, and finally the Salty Dornish who seemed to remember most in their looks and ways the Rhoynish who had once come to the shores of Dorne. It was to the third of these types that Meria belonged culturally, though in appearance it seemed more a mix between Salty and Stoney. Indeed, her mother had been of Stoney Dornish descent, a mere paramour who had attracted enough of Lord Jordayne's fancy to be made Lady of the Tor. To Meria she gave her pale countenance and soft expression, though Meria still had the dark hair of her father's family despite it all. The marriage though, between Lord and Lady Jordayne did not prove long to be a happy one. For to make a Paramour a wife requires a certain kind of woman, a certain disposition of character to realize that just because they were now a spouse, did not mean they were now the only companion of their lover. Of course there were many lords and ladies who would limit their bed to their spouse after that happy day, but Lord Jordayne, being a "man of tradition" was not one of them. Fighting became a hallmark of the marriage, and often the spires and halls of the Tor would be filled with their shouting, shouting that Meria couldn't stand. It was not uncommon for her to slip away to some quiet secluded area or down to the beach with a book under her arm, for she was always from her youth disposed towards learning. (Auto-didactic) But in Westeros, even in Dorne, marriages revolving around so much fighting rarely ended well. It was in her tenth year, after the birth of her only brother, that her mother vanished. Meria never learnt where she went, and her father wouldn't tell her. Her brother, who looked as Stoney Dornish as could be, certainly couldn't tell her anything either. After her mother left, her father only became more authoritarian. It was as if he was afraid of losing others as well. He would refuse Meria and her sisters leave to go about unaccompanied, even within the walls of the keep. Now Meria was not as hot-headed as most of her Dornish Kin, but she still had in her that spark of Dornish Independence so iconic to the kingdom. When she would find the time to slip away she would always ensure to first figure out the quickest way back from her hiding places, the best way to get back to her chambers or tutors (Many of whom sympathized and turned as blind an eye as they could to her escapes) before her father or his lackeys could notice. (Navigator) Young Adult But even Meria's father couldn't keep a tight leash on the Jordayne children forever, and Meria would take every chance she could to go visit her aunt, who had married into the Allyrion's a few years before her fifteenth nameday. But it was on the trips with her family's ships and visiting Sunspear that she truly found freedom to do as she liked, to love who she wanted, and to practice what she willed. Archery took her focus for some time, and she enjoyed it recreationally. There were of course other ladies in Dorne who would practice the spear or the sword, but she never found them too appealing. There was something clean and simple about archery, something much more pleasing to her sensibilities. Lady of the Tor When her father finally passed, having lost his footing upon one of the cliffsides overlooking the shore, Meria finally made her return to the Tor. She was ready as best she could to assume the role of a Lady and to rule her people well. She still had that curiosity which had always been innate to her person of course, especially for the exotic. Thus when it so happened to chance that she spotted on a trip to Sunspear a group of mummers and acrobats, she simply had to learn a bit of their art. It was no hard thing, convincing one of their number to attend to her at the Tor and be her instructor...The Dornish had certain ways very suitable for convincing others, after all. Since then she has kept a lower profile than most, collecting knowledge and lore...And always looking with some disdain towards the more brash lords and ladies of her people. Timeline * 278 AC Meria is born. * 286 AC Meria begins sneaking out of the keep, and finding quicker ways back. * 288 AC Meria's brother, Joseth is born. Her mother disappears two moons afterwards. * 293 AC Meria begins spending time with her aunt and at the Water Gardens. * 295 AC Meria becomes Lady Jordayne. * 296 AC Meria dismisses her steward, begins ruling in her own right. Family * Jeor Jordayne, Father (Deceased) * Jeyne Jordayne, Mother (Missing) * Meria Jordayne (20) * Jonella Jordayne (18) * Jayde Jordayne (14) * Joseth Jordayne (10) * Lady Allyrion (Aunt, formerly Jordayne), 32 * Jon Jordayne (Uncle), 57 Supporting Characters * Maester Melwyn, Archetype: Maester * Alayaya the Acrobat, Archetype: Wanderer * Jonella Jordayne, Archetype: Negotiator * Ser Selwyn, Archetpye: General * Sylas, Archetype: Warrior (Pole-arms) Category:Dornish Category:House Jordayne Category:Principality of Dorne